Entertainment

Shailene Woodley's Trailblazer Speech Is Amazing

by Kadeen Griffiths

It should come as no surprise that Shailene Woodley is receiving the Trailblazer Award at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night. Not just because we've known about this since March, but because Woodley has totally earned the right to be honored in the same way as Emma Stone, Emma Watson, and Channing Tatum have at previous ceremonies. She has thrilled us as Hazel Grace in The Fault In Our Stars and Tris Prior in Divergent, not to mention taught us some... unique dietary habits, and on Sunday night, when Miles Teller presented Woodley with the award, he also made sure to make us all cry with a touching speech recounting his friendship with Woodley to this point.

"The Trailblazer Award is for somebody who breaks the mold, they said. And that is absolutely Shailene," he began. "...I honestly can say I've never been in a room with somebody who emits more of a radiant, positive light. Shailene is an incredible force of nature. I'm sure when she gets up here, she'd like to give you all a heart hug, which is where you hug and your hearts touch. But she can't, so she'll just accept the award graciously. But, Shailene, I love you. I feel like I've written a bunch of speeches for you at this point. I'm always happy to do it, because you're an incredible actress. And that's really only matched by your integrity, and who you are as a person." Excuse me, I'm just over here sobbing.

When Woodley came on the stage, she practically threw herself into Teller's arms for a hug. "I think that award should actually go to you because you were amazing in Whiplash!" she said, wiping at her cheek. "You were so good. And you made me cry, which is not that easy to do." Sorry to every other celebrity friendship in the world, but Woodley and Teller are now my friendship goals. Of course, none of that mattered when Woodley launched into her own speech, one that should act as an inspiration to each of us along our own paths to becoming trailblazers:

I was here three years ago when Emma Stone won this award... I remember what she said because it stayed with me all of these years. She came up here and she defined what a trailblazer was, which is an innovator, someone who forges a new path. And in her speech she said... we meet thousands of people who we may be inspired by but we'll never be anyone other than ourselves. And, in thinking about that and thinking about this whole concept of trailblazing, I realized that we can't fully be ourselves without a community, we can't be ourselves without people to reflect back to us who we really are.

In that, I keep marveling at this idea at who we pick up on the trails along the way and who becomes our communities... What am I trying to say? I jut have no idea! Looking at all of you, I know some of you, I don't know some of you, but for all of you who have been pillars to me, thank you, and for all of you who I have been able to be a pillar for, I will continue to be a pillar for. Whoever your community is, be pillars for these people... so let's trailblaze on!

If there was anyone out there who somehow didn't believe that Woodley more than deserves this award, that is the kind of speech that should silence any doubters. For her to take the time out of her own award acceptance speech to thank everyone who helped her to get to where she is today, not to mention promise to continue to be there for everyone she is helping be who they want to be, was a touching moment. So, basically, if Teller didn't make you cry from the sheer strength of his bond with Woodley, then Woodley made you cry with what an amazing person she is. Either way, I'll pass you a Kleenex.

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